


to make you feel my love

by bluestarwitch



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Domestic Bliss, Established Relationship, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Secret Relationship, Sleepy Cuddles, its 3 am idk anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 05:01:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30067050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluestarwitch/pseuds/bluestarwitch
Summary: Ridiculous, Arthur thinks. Everything about him is so ridiculous.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 158





	to make you feel my love

_Ridiculous_ , Arthur thinks.

The sun isn't up yet, but he is. Laying on his side in his bed, staring creepily at the ridiculous man sleeping beside him. His soft hair, his sharp cheekbones, his big ears, his full lips, his strong jaw, his lean torso, his gangly limbs; everything about him is so... ridiculous. Even his personality — a surprising amount of bravado filled in a tender heart with a coat of adorable clumsiness — is absolutely ridiculous. In a good way, though, a very good way. In a way that makes princes fall in love with him and renders them useless for much else.

It ought to be a crime. Merlin should be in the dungeons instead of in the prince’s bed.

But Arthur prefers him here more than anywhere else. He kisses up the line of his throat, the mole under his jaw and the corner of his mouth while trailing his hand down his chest. The muscles are firm and familiar under his fingertips. Merlin stirs when Arthur reaches his belly, and he tickles him there, trying to rouse him. The sorcerer's brows pull together and he swats at Arthur’s hand in his sleep.

“‘rthur,” With a grumble, Merlin tries to get away from him. Arthur uses his weight to pin him in place, stifling a chuckle against his shoulder.

It only appears to make Merlin more comfortable. Although Arthur doesn’t understand how, considering he can feel Merlin’s semi-hard cock against his thigh.

He’ll probably just have to bring Merlin’s attention to it. So he begins mouthing at his collarbones and lets his explorations resume. Through the downy hair between his pecs, over the ridges of his ribs, down the curve of his side to his hip. Tiny bumps rise on his skin in the wake of Arthur’s teasing touches, but Merlin remains otherwise unfazed.

“It won't work.”

“Hmm?” Arthur looks up, being greeted by blue eyes dark as the sky outside the window, entirely unamused.

“No matter what you do, Arthur,” Merlin gives a great yawn, rearranging his legs. “‘m not fallin’ for it.”

“I'm not doing anything.” He pulls back a little, denying the obvious like the idiot that he is.

“God bless.” Merlin turns his back to him. “Lemme sleep, then.”

Ignoring the itch to cuff the insolent arse, Arthur pointedly lets his hand inch between his thighs. “Okay, perhaps I am doing something.”

Merlin wraps a hand around Arthur’s wrist and tugs his arm around his chest. “And I'm telling you to save it."

Arthur cuffs him.

“Ow!” The sorcerer scowls at him, completely awake now. He’s holding his head as if wounded, and Arthur can read his expression like a book. _The hell was that for?!_

“Do you _like_ making things difficult for yourself, _Mer_ lin?” The answer is probably ‘yes’.

Merlin contemplates it as if it wasn’t a rhetorical question. “I don't do it on purpose.”

He huffs. Merlin would make him beat around the bush all night if he let him. He needs to get them back on track. “I don't understand why you’re resisting, it's a win-win situation for us both.”

“What is?”

Moving to straddle his lap, Arthur seductively murmurs the deal against his ear. “I suck you off now, and you stay here with me an hour longer than usual.”

This, on the other hand, Merlin doesn’t even pause to think about. “And spend the day in the stocks? No, thank you, sire.”

That had happened once — or twice, maybe — and wasn’t Arthur’s fault. At least not entirely. “If you knew how to tell a half-decent lie, maybe you wouldn't have to.”

“ _Or_ ,” Merlin twists and the next second, Arthur is flat on his back beside him. He shakes his head at the misuse of magic as Merlin throws an arm over him, burrowing into his side. Giving up, he wraps his arm around his shoulders. “if you stopped being a lazy li’l daisy and woke up when you should.”

“Excuse you, I wake up early every day.”

“Not by yourself, no.” Before Arthur can inform that he doesn’t need him for such trivial things — although he’d always want him nevertheless — Merlin continues. “You do realise that you're wasting your precious night time arguing, right, _my lord_? You could sleep instead.”

“It's not about sleeping, idiot.” Arthur could cuff him again. But he’s found it’s not a very effective means of communication. He’ll have to use _words_. “It's about... having you. Like this.”

It’s not much, but Arthur tried. And going by the way Merlin's expression softens, it was enough.

Arthur and Merlin are the most forbidden lovers to ever be. Arthur is royalty and the heir to Camelot and the son of the Bloody Tyrant, and Merlin is a servant and a man and the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth. There are days when the weight of the crown he’s yet to wear is too much for Arthur. Or days when Merlin has to silently suffer through the slaughter of his kin. And they can’t comfort the other as they wish to; Merlin can’t hold his face in public and reassure him of his own abilities, and Arthur can’t take Merlin’s hand in front of his father and promise him that things will be different when he’s king. It takes its toll sometimes.

Nights are all they have. They can love and apologise and swear oaths to one another in the dark, unabashedly, with no one to judge them. But most nights they have to spend sleeping away the day’s physical and mental exhaustion. Even after spending the entire day together, it leaves Arthur feeling like they don’t get sufficient time with each other.

Merlin must be on the same page, because there’s a visible conflict on his face. He searches Arthur’s eyes for a moment, then swallows. Coming to a decision, he stares into the space in front of them and without a word, his eyes fill with gold.

Once the fascinating flash of magic in Merlin’s eyes fades, Arthur looks around for something spectacular to happen. But his chambers are still and quiet, just like they had been. He looks down at himself, then at Merlin, but finds nothing changed. “What did you do, Merlin? I don’t—”

Then he notices. The billowing curtains are frozen in the air. The fire in the hearth has stopped its dance. Embers from the flames hang in their places. Arthur blinks, disbelieving, before jumping out of bed and rushing naked to the windows. The guards in the square could’ve been statues. There’s no wind to make the tree leaves rustle or carry the clouds across the sky. The stars shine instead of twinkling. It’s so unnaturally silent that he can hear Merlin breathing from all the way there.

“Did you—” Arthur turns around slowly. Stares at the hearth, the curtain, then at Merlin. “Did you just _stop time?!_ ”

Merlin gives him a sheepish smile. “It's only for a little while, alright? I can't hold it for too long.”

Arthur stares for another beat. Then he surges forward, mashing his lips with Merlin's and pressing him down into the mattress.

_Ridiculous_ , he thinks again, finally taking Merlin in his mouth. _How powerful he is. And even more ridiculous that out of everyone, he chooses to love me._

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in a day, my dudes. picked a random song from a merthur playlist for the title. and it's currently middle of the night so dont come at me lol.


End file.
